SAN DIEGO – Wildlife advocates are praising SeaWorld San Diego's decision to let Shamu retire, so to speak, but they have reservations about the park's announcement that killer whale shows will change at the end of next year.

SeaWorld says the orcas will still be on display at the amusement park, but they won't be doing any tricks. It's a response to criticism over treatment of orcas in captivity that crested with the release of the 2013 documentary "Blackfish," which led to a drop in park attendance.

Marine biologist Maris Sidenstecker, co-founder and program director at Save the Whales, wants the orca exhibit closed altogether.

"Honestly, I think SeaWorld should not have orcas in captivity and should phase this out completely," she says. "I think they should just be a rehab center for injured wildlife and animals."

Sidenstecker says orcas swim 100 miles a day in the wild, so it's impossible to recreate their natural habitat in captivity. She says many of the whales should be carefully reintroduced into the ocean.

Joel Manby, CEO of SeaWorld Enterprises, explained the company's plans in an investor's forum on Monday.

"We are listening to our guests. We're evolving as a company, we're always changing," he says. "In 2017, we will launch an all-new orca experience. It's going to be focused more on the natural setting, natural environment and also, the natural behaviors of the whale. And it will have a strong conservation message."

In addition, Manby says a project called "Blue Ocean," involving a massive $100 million expansion of the killer whale tanks, will not go forward in light of a recent California Coastal Commission decision to ban breeding of captive killer whales.

California Congressman Adam Schiff, D–Burbank, has said he'll introduce a bill to prohibit trade in killer whales, block their capture in the wild and outlaw the breeding of captive orca.


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Critical Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat has been degraded by a 2019 U.S. Forest Service decision to allow more than 17,000 livestock to graze in Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin, according to a new report.

John Carter, ecologist for the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection and the report's co-author, said 84% of the area is designated as having a wildlife emphasis in the Forest Plan.

"The area that this decision covers places a priority on wildlife," Carter explained. "But what we have in reality is a livestock emphasis, with wildlife way down in the order of priorities, as far as any evidence we've seen."

The Forest Service decided to put cattle in the project area even though it is where more than half of all grizzly deaths in western Wyoming happened between 2010 and 2014. All were due to conflicts with cattle. Grizzlies are classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The agency has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Forest Service is not following the best scientific practices for managing livestock grazing, according to the report, which found a significant decline in the forage plants that should be present. A single adult cow and calf can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, due to added hormones and antibiotics, but Carter pointed out the agency's stocking rate assumes the total weight is just 1,000 pounds.

"When in reality, they weigh double that, and they're consuming double the rate that the Forest Service is claiming when they are calculating a stocking rate," Carter contended. "You've got some very basic fundamentals that are being glossed over in order to perpetuate the status quo."

The Forest Service is supposed to manage publicly-owned resources for long-term sustainability, but Carter argued there has been a gradual decline over time. He added laws passed in the 1960s and 70s to protect watersheds from overgrazing and logging have been weakened by industry lobbyists.

"Basically, you've got a system set up where the industry is essentially in control of the agency," Carter stressed. "It's called 'regulatory capture,' and so the public really is out of the loop here."


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New funding recently added to the Colorado Wildlife Safe Passages Fund could provide relief for mule deer and elk populations, which are on the decline in Colorado, home to several of the largest herds in the U.S.

Tony Cady, Region 5 planning and environmental manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, said there are an estimated 14,000 wildlife-vehicle collisions each year, at a cost of $80 million to the state's economy. More wildlife are killed through collisions with motorists than during hunting harvests.

"So, it's a problem we need to tackle," Cady contended. "This money will allow us to address wildlife crossings and wildlife vehicle collision mitigation projects in those key corridors around the state where we're seeing the greatest need."

The $500,000 in funding is part of the Colorado state budget recently signed by Gov. Jared Polis. The allotment will be used as the state's local match necessary to leverage federal grants made possible through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including $350 million available in the law's Wildlife Crossing Pilot Program.

Colorado has been a national leader in mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions, and has built 64 crossing structures -- including bridges, culverts or tunnels -- even under tight transportation budgets. Cady pointed to a recently completed project on Highway 9 between Kremmling and Green Mountain Reservoir.

"Over a two-year period we documented several hundred thousand animal movements, and it resulted in a 92% reduction in crashes with wildlife, and a 90% reduction in the carcasses removed," Cady outlined. "They are highly effective."

Cady noted there are hundreds of crossings still needed across the state to restore historic migration corridors, and the Colorado Department of Transportation has prioritized 25 strategic projects it wants to complete within the next decade.

Cady added, given the state's extensive network of highways and roads, animals have to make multiple crossings in their seasonal migrations to access food and shelter.

"And every time they cross the road or have to jump a fence, that creates a hazard to them, and to motorists using the roadways," Cady explained. "Providing these safe passages allows them to connect to those critical habitats, while also providing safety for the traveling public."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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The Village of Doña Ana is New Mexico's oldest federally designated settlement, and about to be the newest destination for public art.

The Endangered Species Coalition is spearheading mural projects in locations across the U.S. this year - celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act.

Raquel Madrigal, a mural artist who was chosen for two projects in southern New Mexico, said the mural in Doña Ana includes images of the endangered boreal owl and Gila monster lizard. She believes the accessibility of public art promotes community.

"People don't have to take time out of their day to go to a gallery. They don't have to find a babysitter. They don't have to pay an entrance fee," Madrigal explained. "They've got to walk by, they've just got to drive by, and they see a story. And that's something I'm very passionate about with murals is bringing art to the community."

Madrigal noted community members will be invited to add the final touches to the mural. The event this Friday begins at 3 p.m. and is scheduled in conjunction with Endangered Species Day.

Israel Chávez, chair of the Doña Ana Village Association, said as the humanitarian crisis at the border continues, New Mexico has always played a dual role in migration - helping immigrants find a new life in the U.S., and protecting endangered species such as wolves.

"Then you think of the more stark examples like the monarch butterfly, other migratory animals whose ability to migrate has been impeded because we as a society kind-of punish that, and then tying that back to the human rights element of migration at the border," Chávez outlined.

Madrigal emphasized the mural's theme highlights lost resources making both migration and immigration necessary.

"I come from a family that immigrated to America and I see a lot of narratives that don't really represent who we are," Madrigal added.

The Endangered Species Act is credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction. To date, more than 100 species of plants and animals have been delisted based on recovery, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.